Lincoln On Leadership – Chapter Eight
May 19, 2011 Leave a comment
I’m currently reading the book Lincoln on Leadership. I wanted to share the chapter notes because they’re so good.
Chapter 8 – Exercise a Strong Hand – Be Decisive
- An entire organization is never wisely sacrificed to avoid losing one or two small parts
- Take advantage of confusion, desperation, and urgency to exercise strong leadership
- Seize the initiative and never relinquish it
- Don’t give up all your key points of strength or the competition may “beat out your brains”
- Never let your immediate subordinate take action upon your responsibility without consulting you first
- If you have a subordinate who has a presidential chin-fly biting him, don’t knock it off
- When making a decision, understand the facts, consider various solutions and their consequences, make sure that the decision is consistent with your objectives, and effectively communicate your judgement.
- Remember that compromise does not mean cowardice
- Try ballots first: when ballots don’t work, use bullets
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